Abstract - Aim: To evaluate the ability of
parents to recall past injuries to their children's maxillary primary
incisors. Materials and methods: Clinical and radiographic
trauma-related major and minor signs observed in the first dental visit
of 727 preschool children were recorded. Major signs included crown
fracture, coronal discoloration, internal resorption, pulp canal
obliteration, swelling, fistula, and periapical lesion. Minor signs
included enamel cracks, sensitivity to percussion, dull or metallic
sound on percussion, increased mobility, and widened periodontal
ligament. Children were divided into groups: CT = certainly traumatized
(presenting with at least one major sign or a combination of three minor
signs), PT = probably traumatized (presenting with one or two minor
signs) and NT = not traumatized. Accompanying parents were asked to
recall past injuries to their children's teeth. Possible replies were
'no', 'yes' and 'probably yes'. Disagreement when both parents were
present was recorded as 'yes'. Crown fractures involving dentin, coronal
discoloration, swelling and fistula were defined as 'observable signs
of trauma'. Results: One-hundred and eighteen children were accompanied
by fathers, 411 by mothers and 198 by both. The CT group comprised 464
children; the PT group, 103; and the NT group, 160, with no
statistically significant differences by gender. Parents' positive
recall was similar for boys (33.3%) and girls (31.0%). Mothers recalled
trauma in 32.6% and fathers in 27.1% of their children. Parents failed
to recall trauma in 52.6% of the CT-group children and in 43.5% of the
PT-group children. Parents failed to recall trauma in 37.6% of the
children who had observable signs of trauma. Conclusions: Parents'
recall of dental trauma occurring in their children's maxillary primary
incisors was reliable in <50% of the cases.
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